Mariners offseason rumor/discussion thread

[Thisnamewasntaken]

Willie Bloomquist? Really? REALLY? I give up. This team is obviously up to the same old garbage!!

 

[Cloud]

It's a 2 year deal for Bloomquist.. wow..... i dont know what to say anymore.

 

[NWinAZ]

I love the move. Every great team needs a solid, versatile utility player and Willie is that in my book. Now all we need is the 'great team' part.

 

[NWinAZ]

And there is this regarding Guti:

7h[/ame] Health issues continues for ex-Mariners OF Franklin Gutierrez; sidelined by virus infection in winter ball in Venezuela.

 

[unlvmariners]

And there is this regarding Guti:

7h Health issues continues for ex-Mariners OF Franklin Gutierrez; sidelined by virus infection in winter ball in Venezuela.

What is wrong with this guy, besides every possible illness known to man.

 

[unlvmariners]

I love the move. Every great team needs a solid, versatile utility player and Willie is that in my book. Now all we need is the 'great team' part.

I completely agree.

 

[BigDDude]

Well, here is a RUMOR I never thought I would see.....

The Mariners have emerged as a major player in the Robinson Cano sweepstakes, several sources told Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com. With the Yankees not wanting to go to seven years or as much as $200MM, an industry source with knowledge of the negotiations termed the Yankees chances of retaining Cano at "less than 50-50."
That source said that the chances of the five-time All-Star second baseman staying in the Bronx "don't look too good right now." For what it's worth, Mariners GM Jack Zduiencik wouldn't confirm to ESPNNewYork's Andrew Marchand that he has met with Cano. Sources familiar with the negotiations between the Bombers and Cano say that the Yankees believe Seattle is willing to give him an eight-year, $200MM deal.

 

[NWinAZ]

Mariners have high interest in Hamilton, Fielder, Kemp, Cano, Fowler, Upton, Butler, Either, etc, etc. To date we have obtained none from this list and come March we may be still at the same number.
I love rumors as much as the next guy, but give me a Lillibridge rumor over these guys because that one at least has a chance to come true. Of course we did get Lee, but that turned out to be worthless in the end.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Mariners have high interest in Hamilton, Fielder, Kemp, Cano, Fowler, Upton, Butler, Either, etc, etc. To date we have obtained none from this list and come March we may be still at the same number.
I love rumors as much as the next guy, but give me a Lillibridge rumor over these guys because that one at least has a chance to come true. Of course we did get Lee, but that turned out to be worthless in the end.

It is funny because a part of me wants to believe the whole Cano thing but that rational part of my brain keeps reminding myself of Hamilton, Fielder, etc, etc.

 

[NWinAZ]

Amen brother.

And another guy I was targeting as a bench bat just signed with the Yankees.

7h[/ame] [URL="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Yankees&src=hash"]#Yankees close to signing Kelly Johnson to a 1-yr about $2.75-3M. Plan is to play a lot around diamond, potential 2b option if Cano leaves

 

[wazzu31]

And there is this regarding Guti:

7h Health issues continues for ex-Mariners OF Franklin Gutierrez; sidelined by virus infection in winter ball in Venezuela.

Does anyone else wonder why the dude ever leaves the states. Every time he steps out of the country he gets a debilitating disease or virus.

 

[unlvmariners]

It is funny because a part of me wants to believe the whole Cano thing but that rational part of my brain keeps reminding myself of Hamilton, Fielder, etc, etc.

I am the exact same way.

I find myself actually believing the Mariners are going to sign Robinson Cano, then I realize its the Mariners Im talking about and how ridiculous it is.

 

[seahawksfan234]

A lot of rumors popping up lately, here are some for discussion:

-As I posted on another thread, Nelson Cruz has turned down a 5 year $75m offer from the Mariners. I pray they don't go 6 years $90m.

Two general managers told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports that they wouldn't part with Taijuan Walker in a package to land David Price (Twitter link). Last week, it was reported that the Mariners could push for Price but that Walker would need to be included in any trade.
The Mariners have received a lot of interest in Dustin Ackley, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. As Heyman notes, Ackley had a solid finish to his 2013 season, batting .290/.360/.412 over his final 65 contests.
Heyman also tweets that the Mariners' targets include David Price, Nelson Cruz, Joaquin Benoit and Corey Hart. Hart was drafted by General Manager Jack Zduriencik when Zduriencik was with the Brewers.

I hope it is true about the Mariners not wanting to part with Walker. Although I think that is what it would take to land Price.

It may make sense for the Mariners to sell high on Dustin Ackley. He had a good 2nd half but I worry he may regress back to his first half form. If he does regress, the Mariners will wish they would have moved him.

2:35pm: Colon's market is heating up, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports hears (on Twitter). Heyman lists the Orioles and Mets as possibilities, noting that if Colon signs a one-year deal it could be north of $10MM.

Could be an interesting move. I have not given Colon much thought but he had a terrific year last year and by giving him a 1 year deal the Mariners would not be risking much.

The Rangers' comfort level with Cruz has been a two-year deal to this point, according Olney (on Twitter). However, Cruz wants a three-year pact from the Rangers.

If Cruz wants 3 years from the Rangers, yet turned down 5 years from the Mariners I think it is safe to say he wants nothing to do with us.

There are mixed opinions in the Mariners' front office when it comes to Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The Mariners have been heavily linked to the 29-year-old who boasts great talent but also comes with injury concerns.

I'm starting to think Kemp may make more sense. His annual contract is $5m more than what the Mariners offered Cruz and there is a possibility the Dodgers may eat part of his contract. Kemp has tremendous potential and the Mariners could get him for less than he is worth IMO. He has had injury concerns these past two years but averaged 159 games per season the 4 years before that.

If the Mariners don't want to part with Paxton or Walker for Price I think it is safe to say they would not part with either of them for Kemp. If the Mariners don't give up Paxton or Walker I think a move for Kemp could be a good idea.

Red Sox skipper John Farrell doesn't sound too upset about seeing Robinson Cano go to Seattle, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. "He’s a guy that keeps you up at night trying to find ways to attack him." Farrell said. "But I’m glad he’s out of the East."

Not a rumor but just nice to see such a player in a Mariners uniform.

The Mariners are interested in Fernando Rodney, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). As Morosi notes, Rodney is quite familiar with new Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon from the duo's days together with the Tigers. They have a good relationship, according to Morosi.

Could be a solid move. Have not heard much about the bullpen with the focus being on starting pitchers and bats.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Also wanted to mention that word is Choo is looking for an Ellsbury type deal. I liked the idea of adding Choo but if he wants that kind of money I will pass.

 

[blstoker]

Also wanted to mention that word is Choo is looking for an Ellsbury type deal. I liked the idea of adding Choo but if he wants that kind of money I will pass.

I was balking at the estimated 6 year $100 million rumor on MLBTR, I sure as hell wouldn't give him 7 $153.

 

[blstoker]

In other news -

D-Backs To Acquire Trumbo In Three-Team Trade With Angels, White Sox
By Steve Adams [December 10 at 2:02pm CST]

The hevaily rumored three-team trade between the Angels, Diamondbacks and White Sox has been completed, a source tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Mark Trumbo and a pair of players to be named later will head to the Diamondbacks, Adam Eaton will join the White Sox and Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs are headed to the Angels (Twitter links).

The Diamondbacks were set on acquiring either Trumbo or Shin-Soo Choo at this week's Winter Meetings, according to earlier reports. He will slot into the outfield for the D-Backs, which isn't a perfect fit for Arizona given his defensive shortcomings there. Trumbo has belted 66 home runs over the past two seasons, posting a .250/.305/.471 batting line.

In 992 innings as an outfielder throughout his career, Trumbo has a -7.0 UZR/150. While his walk rate climbed to a career-best eight percent in 2013, that's still below the league average, and it came along with a career-worst 27.1 percent strikeout rate. Still, he should provide a great deal of power to a D-Backs outfield that finished last in the Majors in home runs in 2013. In fact, Trumbo's mark of 34 homers alone ties the collective mark posted by Arizona outfielders last season. Trumbo projects to earn $4.7MM via arbitration this offseason and can be controlled through the 2016 campain.

The White Sox have stated a desire to get younger and to add left-handed bats to their lineup, and the acquisition of Eaton will do just that. Formerly one of baseball's top prospects, the 25-year-old Eaton missed more than half of the 2013 season after opening the year on the DL with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his left (throwing) elbow.

In 380 career MLB plate apparances, Eaton is a .254/.332/.373 hitter with five homers and seven stolen bases. He's batted .365/.441/.522 with eight homers and 38 steals in 602 career appearances at the Triple-A level. Prior to the 2013 season, Baseball America ranked Eaton as Arizona's No. 4 prospect, noting that he'd made enough defensive strides to convince scouts that he is an everyday big league center fielder with double-digit home run pop, plus speed and a strong, accurate throwing arm. Should he pan out, Eaton could provide the White Sox with their center fielder of the future; he's controllable through the 2018 season.

The Angels have been in the market for young, controllable pitchers, and they did so by filling out their rotation with a pair of promising young left-handers. This is the second time that GM Jerry Dipoto has acquired Skaggs, as Dipoto acquired Skaggs for the D-Backs from the Angels in a trade for Dan Haren when he was Arizona's interim GM.

Skaggs appeared in the Top 15 of BA's Top 100 list prior to the 2012 and 2013 seasons but has struggled in his brief big league experience to date. Still just 22, Skaggs has a 5.43 ERA with 7.5 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 40 percent ground-ball rate in 68 Major League innings. He has a 4.02 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 156 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level -- all of which have come with him being one of the league's youngest pitchers. Skaggs won't be eligible for arbitration until at least 2016 and can be controlled through the 2019 campaign if he's in the Majors from here on out.

Santiago, who turns 26 next week, has a career 3.41 ERA with 8.7 K/9, 4.5 BB/9 and a 37.5 percent ground-ball rate in 224 2/3 big league innings. He's not arbitration eligible until next winter and can be controlled through the 2017 campaign. An extreme fly-ball pitcher, Santiago should enjoy Mike Trout playing behind him in center field.

 

[blstoker]

Could be a solid move. Have not heard much about the bullpen with the focus being on starting pitchers and bats.

Right now, I just don't want Farquhar there.

 

[Podunkparte]

Who else would be in favor of going after Alejandro De Aza now that Eaton is going to Chitown? We could put a pretty conservative package together for De Aza and Jose Quintana and I'd be happy with that. He seems like a good candidate to buy before he may peak power wise. Only thing is he's another Lefty hitter.

 

[blstoker]

Looks like the M's are going for Logan Morrison. Thoughts?

 

[Podunkparte]

Oh god, the rumors are getting worse:

The Mariners likely won't trade Taijuan Walker in a deal for Price, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman [ame="[MEDIA=twitter]410513985415290881[/MEDIA]"]tweets[/ame]. They could, however, trade a package including top position player prospects, including catcher Mike Zunino. Zunino, the third overall pick in the 2013 draft, made his debut for Seattle in 2013.

How long did we have to suffer behind the plate before a prospect shot up through the ranks and showed he could be a long term answer? Now we're potentially trading his for a SP we won't be able to afford? What the fuck are these people thinking?

We don't need David Price!